Exciting Events, Bookstore Deals & Rick Tobias on Grace and Love

November 2013

Dear Friends,

I have begun to call it the ‘Tyndale difference.' It is a way for me to describe the impact that people express to me about their years of study here. Over the years the school has had different names and initials but I am amazed to hear how common the themes are. Culture and society changed and altered over 120 years of Tyndale's history but this ‘Tyndale difference’ has always has been constant.

Just read the stories of present day students in the TYNDALE magazine or in letters. You will recognize the similarities. One is that the experience has always been more than our educational programs. Throughout the decades an atmosphere was nurtured which enabled students to grow in their ability to think critically and intelligently about their world, but also to be formed in character and spirit.

Tyndale in all of its names was committed to the challenges of the Church and to developing people of faith in a changing world. That is why we want to continue to walk with you. You matter to us and we want to encourage and equip you and your church as you serve as salt and light in your community.

This newsletter will give you an idea of the resources and opportunities we provide for you to continue to grow. Come and check them out, take advantage of some of the new initiatives we are providing. You are part of us and you matter.

Shalom,

Dr. Gary V. Nelson
President and Vice Chancellor

Featured Story

For almost 25 years Rick Tobias led Yonge Street Mission and is currently serving as the organization’s Community Advocate. Since 1984 Rick has been an adjunct professor at Tyndale Seminary. This is the second installment in a four-part series that takes us through a discussion with Rick about what is needed in church leadership today.

GRACE AND LOVE
What are the core values in your ministry? Do grace and love appear regularly? Rick believes that in many ways “Grace is a more practical expression” of love. He states that “leaders in the church need to see beauty, worth and capacity in the people around them, both inside the church and outside of the church.

The grace of God can be seen in ministries that are about inclusion and embracing those around them. This standard for grace begins with Jesus who “changed the standard for love.”

As Christians, we are called to “love as He loves God.” It’s not about the culture we live in, or even the culture around us, instead it is about the culture that Christ calls us to live out. “We have a new culture here, we don’t get to love the way our old culture loved, but we get to love the way Jesus loved,” says Rick. How does that look today? “We need to stop being the ‘morality police’ and start being the people who love without judgment.”

This love needs to extend to other Christians, because it is through our love that others will see Christ. “So if our love doesn’t translate into an embrace of each other – if it doesn’t translate into the church truly loving the whole church – then the rest of the world has every reason to question Jesus. Jesus made our love for each other basically a proof of His divinity. Where I work, we probably have people representing 17 different Christian communities. Outside the front door there are Muslims, Hindus, Jewish people, Buddhists, pagans and if they see that we can’t live well with each other they have no reason to assume there is any credibility to what we have to say.”

On an individual level, this also means redefining what we mean by love. Christ tells us that love means laying down our lives for each other. But in our world today, that isn’t always apparent. Rick wonders if it “might be more appropriate that we give up a promotion for somebody else, give up a raise for somebody else, give up our prestige for somebody else; we need to redefine what it means to love sacrificially for each other.”

Imagine what our world would think if we all spent more time being graceful and loving sacrificially. Imagine the difference.

Tyndale Bookstore

“It cannot be that the people should grow in grace unless they give themselves to reading. A reading people will always be a knowing people. ” John Wesley

At the Tyndale Bookstore, we believe that books constitute one of the main vehicles to further theological and spiritual growth, which is essential to a healthy ministry. We carefully choose titles and authors with a solid academic background in the disciplines of theology, biblical studies, leadership, psychology, church and ministry, to mention a few- that speak a message that is relevant to our challenging times.

In the past number of years, following the establishment of the Tyndale Spiritual Direction program and the Spiritual Formation Centre, we have added a substantial selection of books on Christian (including Catholic and Orthodox) spirituality, spiritual disciplines, and spiritual formation.

Please come and visit us to see for yourself all the resources we offer, which also includes a huge selection of quality books at great discounted prices (up to 55% off).Check us out online, 'Like' us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

NEW: Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Formation

Tyndale’s DMin in Spiritual Formation focuses on personal spiritual growth and practice, the academic study of Christian spirituality, and the ministry of spiritual formation.

Upcoming Events

November 23: Meditative Interlude: Engagement with God's Word
Engaging with Scripture is critical in the spiritual formation of the believer. If the Word of God is a “lamp unto our feet” (Psalm 119:105), what does that mean for each one of us personally? This module is designed to help people grow from knowing something of God to experiencing Him personally as we engage with His written Word.

November 28: "Luther: Rebel, Genius, Liberator" Film Screening
Join Director, Eric Till, along with Paul Burford, instructor in the Film and Faith course and Tyndale faculty, at this free event on Thursday, November 28 starting with a reception with the Director at 5:30 pm. The film starts at 6:30 pm in the Van Norman Centre (chapel).

Come enjoy the film and share your views on the challenges and opportunities of depicting faith on film.

January 18, 2014: Prayer Paths to God
One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the privilege of communing with Him in prayer. Yet many describe their prayer life as unfulfilling, even boring. This module is designed to help you develop and experience a deeper quality in your prayer life recognizing this is primary in the process of spiritual formation.Register Now

January 21: Faith Talks 2014
Join us for this year's Faith Talks lectures. Our speaker this year is columnist, author, and recording artist Carolyn Arends.

There will be three talks:

Tuesday January 21 at 11:30 am
Tuesday January 21 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday January 22 at 11:30 am

February 4: Healing Prayer
There are many people who have experienced deep wounding in life that has left them struggling with feelings of abandonment, anger, shame, depression, worry or fear. This module is designed to help people discover the healing that can bring about a new way of living.
Register Now

February 24: DMin Info Session
Connect over lunch with the associate director, admissions team, and faculty of the DMin program. Have your questions answered, learn about the Spiritual Formation and Ministry options, and meet your future classmates.

March 17: Tyndale Preaching Conference 2014
The 2014 Tyndale Preaching Conference will take place on March 17, 2014 with teaching and lectures from Reverend Dr. Will Willimon of the Divinity School at Duke University, and the author of 60 books.
Topic: Preaching Jesus: An Exploration into the Challenges of Preaching Jesus Today.More Information

Tyndale Courses

The Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies and Master of Theological Studies can be taken entirely online or as a combination of online and in-class courses.
If you are interested in a Master of Divinity degree, you can take up to 18 online courses for credit towards your degree—the equivalent of two full years of the program! For many, the option of taking a full year of classes without coming to Toronto is a huge benefit.

God's Mission and His Church
It's common to measure the success of a church in terms of the size of its congregation, budget, or building. While these kinds of statistics provide insight into a church, they don't always reveal whether a congregation has been swept up into God's mission for their lives. What if we started to ask new questions? This course will explore a biblical vision of the Church and experiment with new ways of thinking and living as God's people caught up in His mission.

Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies
The one-year Graduate Diploma program provides you with a foundation of biblical, theological and ministry studies for your spiritual growth and ministry development.

January Intersession Courses
Get a head start on your New Years resolutions and sign up for one of the excellent Intercession courses. Study “Hemorrhaging Faith - the story of Faith among young adult Canadians” with Dave Overholt, “Spiritual Care for the Dying” with David Sherbino, “Leadership” with Peter Dickens and much more.